Tallinn, Estonia
The three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have some of the worst rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the world, the World Health Organization reported this week. The kind of TB prevalent in the Baltics is resistant to the two medicines most commonly prescribed, and treating it costs up to 100 times more than treating regular TB. Even with expensive drugs, it is often fatal. Health officials worry that the “superstrains” could soon spread to Western Europe, because Baltic citizens will be able to live there when the Baltics join the E.U., this May.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.